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In Mask-Wearing Debate, Professor Mohapatra Suggests Promoting, Not Punishing
06/25/2020
Public health authorities should put their energies into promoting mask-wearing rather than requiring it, according to Seema Mohapatra, Associate Professor of Law and Dean’s Fellow at IU McKinney Law.
She commented on recent mask-wearing mandates for a June 21 story in the Indianapolis Star, in which she noted that some people can’t wear masks because of disabilities, and others may fear that wearing a mask may make them look like a criminal.
In addition, requiring masks opens the door to punishing those who don’t do so, Professor Mohapatra said. Now that the issue has been politicized, it would help to have people on both sides of the aisle wear masks and to invest in public service campaigns to teach people about why wearing masks benefits everyone, she told the Indianapolis Star.
“I really do think that will work better and do less harm than having a requirement where it is subject to both actual policing and citizen policing,” Mohapatra said.
Professor Mohapatra is co-author of an article, “Resolving Tensions Between Disability Rights Law and COVID-19 Mask Policies,” forthcoming in the online Maryland Law Review and also recently co-authored an article in the online Washington and Lee Law Review that argues against mandating mask use.
